Discontinuous Romance
by Team Stopwatch
Summary: AU,Janto. The first time Captain Jack Harkness meets Ianto Jones, Ianto know everything about him. Every time they meet now their lives are moving in opposite directions. Can they make it work regardless? Based loosely on the River Song relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Discontinuous Romance

The muffled sounds of normality on a Saturday night coming from the bar nearby were the first sounds Jack heard upon his resurrection. Gasping loudly his arms groped the rough ground beneath him as if to find an anchor to ease the transition into life itself. When he found nothing but the unconscious body of the weevil next to him the Captain stilled, waiting for the large wounds that the alien had ripped into his chest to heal before getting to his feet.

"Not the most appealing sight I've ever woken up I must say. But then again you're hardly the worst.." He quipped.

Realising that no one could hear him Jack tapped the comms unit mercifully still in his ear.

"Toshiko, you there?"

"Yup, Are you okay?" the tech's voice appeared in his ear. " I was getting worried"

"No need. just a particularly vicious one today, it seemed to be more immune to the spray than usual, ask Owen to run some tests when I get back would you?"

"Sure, it's possible that they're evolving."

"That's going to be a problem if they are. "

"Right, I'll get a cell ready for our guest" and with that Tosh signed out.

Still stiff he lifted the weevil over his shoulder and began the short walk to the SUV he had parked around the corner when he heard an unfamiliar soft, deep voice calling his name. This was all he needed.

"Jack?"

Turning around he caught sight of the man who had spoken and was startled despite himself. This guy was _gorgeous. _Pushing the entirely inapropriate thoughts he was experiencing to the back of his mind he reminded himself that anyone lurking in an alleyway was bound to be trouble and now he had seen the weevil he would have to be retconned. That was even discounting the disturbing fact that he seemed to know him.

"What do you want?" he snapped but the man seemed more concerned than offput.

"Are you okay? I would have got here sooner but I mis-set the coordinates on this." and he tapped a leather wriststrap he was wearing which looked disconcertingly like the one also present on Jack's wrist.

" Sorry, what?" IF he was a time agent they were all in big trouble.

"The weevil, remember." he spoke with a look of fond exasperation which just added to Jack's confusion and worry. "Looked nasty"

"I had it under control" he lied hoping the large blood stains on his shirt were covered by his coat.

"huh. Didn't seem like that from where I was standing. Heading back to the hub?"

And with that Jack decided he had to take action. Smoothly he slipped behind the other man and knocked him out with the barrel of his Webley.

When Ianto Jones woke up he was locked in a Torchwood cell.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Jack had been watching the unconscious man in the cells on the CCTV for an hour now and it had given him a chance to study him properly.

Dark hair framed his face perfectly and Jack could only imagine how delectable it would look ruffled and sleep mussed. Attempting to wrench his thoughts back on track he let his eyes wander analytically down the black tshirt and dark jeans that the man was wearing. Appropriate wear for the 21st century and Tosh's scans had shown no weapons. If he was a time agent he would have to be a very unorthodox one and this scared the Captain even more. He had no idea who this man was even though he seemed to know all about him and Torchwood. He looked young, no more than twenty something but Jack of all people knew that looks can be decieving.

They had removed the wrist strap and upon first glance it looked exactly the same as Jack with the same dimensions and made of the same material but closer examination showed that it was much older, worn and stained in some places. Whoever he was, he seemed like trouble, and trouble seemed to be waking up.

Moving out of his office and down the stairs he let the others know he was heading down to the cells and asked them to call Gwen.

"Our resident Miss Bleeding Heart is not going to be happy that you've got a guy locked up in the cells" Owen commented. " Or that you cut her day off short for that matter."

" I need all of you in here until we know exactly who or what we're dealing with" Jack replied. " He could be dangerous"

"He's cute." Tosh put in then blushed and ducked her head at Owen's sharp look.

"Is he?" Jack said, trying to sound casual.

"Come on Harkness, don't try and pretend like you haven't noticed" scoffed Owen.

"Yes, well maybe once we verify he's not a homicidal alien trying to take over the world." Jack retorted before striding towards the basement.

"Not like you to wait." the medic shouted after him before turning to the autopsy table and his work.

The dull ache in the back of his head amplified as Ianto returned to consciousness and he slowly became aware of of his surroundings. He had been dumped on the floor in one of the cells, directly opposite the snarling weevil Janet. At least he still had his clothes, though upon a quick inventory he found his vortex manipulator missing. The sound of heavy footsteps coming closer caused him to look up directly into Jack's face but the normally friendly eyes were cold and questioning. The normally reassuring surroundings were a lot more intimidating when you were the one behind the glass Ianto thought and began to feel uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

"Jack, what are you doing, why am I in here?"

"First things first, You're in Torchwood." the Captain said, determind not to let the young man get to him

" Jack! I know bloody well I'm in Torchwood!" Ianto shouted, incredulous. " What am I doing in the cell?"

" We seem to be on an unequal footing here."

"What?"

" You seem to know who I am-"Jack began but was shortly cut off;

" Of course I know who you are!"

"-and all about Torchwood, but you see, contrary to popular belief, I do NOT know you" he continued as Ianto began to look steadily more lost.

"Oh my god. You really don't know me do you? You-you don't know"

The look on Ianto's face was heart breaking and Jack couldn't help but feel guilty for putting it there though for all he knew the man was lying and they had really never met. HIs mind couldn't help but wonder if he was part of his past, someone who he had known in the two years the time agency had stolen from him.

"Look, I'm sorry if we do know eachotheror, if I've forgotten you or something but I really need some answers." Jack tried but was barely looked at as the man in the cell began to speak again.

"No, you haven't forgotten me." He quirked a small, sad, smile " As if you could. You haven't met me yet. I could tell if I looked but I didn't want too. You look... so young. Younger than I've ever seen you before"

"I'm not young."

"Don't you think I know that? I know _you_ Jack, you just don't know me yet."

This disturbed Jack more than he let on. Just how much had he told (or how much would he tell) him? But he was getting ahead of himself. This might be just an elaborate ploy on the part of the time agency or some other of the long list of enemies he had made over the many years. Somehow his prisoner picked up on his doubt.

"I know you don't brlieve me but I can prove it to you I swear."

"How?" asked Jack, unsure now of what exactly he was getting into. The other man was the one in the cell, unarmed but right now he seemed to be the one in control of the situation. Despite himself he leaned in closer until they were only separated by the cell wall and then he gasped as Ianto whispered a single word into his ear, one that brought back in a sudden rush of emotion, memories of a glowing beach, a family and happiness then in the same second the shouts of battle, a hand slipping from his, his father's dying breath. He heard his true name for the first time in centuries.

"How do you know that? I've never told anyone that, There's only one time when I could tell anyone that"

All he got from the other side of the glass was a weary nod before they both tried to carry on as if nothing had happened

" Sorry, I keep on forgetting you don't even know my name yet. It's Jones, Ianto Jones. Shouldn't you let the rest of them I'm not going to attempt to kill you all?

"Um, yeah, I'll just go and do that" The Captain murmmered before rushing upstairs, glad of a chance to clear his thoughts away from the intriguing Welshman. And he was Welsh, a fact Jack hadn't picked up in the first few lines of conversation they had shared but now was obvious. Ianto. He liked it.

"Dammit!" now was not the time to be developing feelings for a mysterious welshman who knew far too much for comfort. A mysterious _attractive_ welshman who knew too much his brain ammended. This was going to be difficult.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The team was gathered in the boardroom watching Ianto on the CCTV. As usual Owen was the first to broach the subject.

" So what are we going to do with him?"

"I'm not sure" Jack responded, running his fingers through his hair whilst sat at the head of the table, lounging back in his chair.

"Well, we can't just leave him there indefinitely" Tosh said practically taking notes on her laptop.

"But are you sure we can trust him?" Gwen contributed, glancing at Jack.

"He seems trustworthy for now but keep an eye on him just to be sure. I'm thinking of letting him out, see just how much he knows and decide how this is going to work. Owen you can give him a checkup, make sure he's human."

The doctor snorted, "Yeah, cos there are multiple planets with a Wales. One would think one was enough."

"Oi!" Gwen yelped indignantly and shot a glare at Owen, ready as always to entire into an argument over her national pride.

" Now kids, play nice." Jack put in, not looking away from the screen which showed Ianto sitting on the small bench in his cell, obviously trying to compartementalize the situation he had found himself in. "I'll go down there again, talk to him for a bit,find out as much as I can."

As the other two started to pack up Tosh turned to Jack "When you get a chance you should take a look at my rift monitor, there's an unusual amount of activity going on right around us but nothing has been taken or come through."

" Right" and with that much more to worry about he headed back again to the cells.

Ianto hadn't moved since Jack had left before. He had known this day was coming but the reality as well as absurdity of the scenario assaulted him in full force once the familiar blue coat and eyes had left the cells. For once he had no idea what to do. When the man you trusted most of all in the world didn't even know you, how did you carry on? Ianto wondered. Oh, and he was also a prisoner. Trapped. Brilliant! He didn't even look up as Jack came in, not being able to bear the eyes he knew so well looking right through him again.

" I suppose you'll be wanting answers then"

" At your own convienance Mr Jones then" Jack replied, trying to lighten the tension."Anything you can give us without battering the time lines too much please."

Luckily Ianto seemed to respond to the tone. "Do you mind a change of scenery? Not that this isn't lovely" tapping the hard bench he was sat on, "But I'd appreciate a proper chair. the interrogation room even."

"Kinky," Jack couldn't help but comment.

"Oh you have no idea" the Welshman flirted back and winked slightly.

Taken aback but relieved at the change in dynamic Jack unlocked the door and fastened a pair of handcuffs to the other mans wrists. Ianto had been expecting this and stood still while they were placed around his hands.

Trying not to let his imagination wander towards what exactly he'd like to do with the man and handcuffs, none of which involved much interrogation, well not that kind anyway, Jack moved behind Ianto and they walked toward the interrogation room, Jack unsurprised that Ianto knew the way and definitely NOT gaping shamelessly at the shapely arse in front of him. Well, not much anyway.

Once they had both sat down Jack attempted to begin the session the usual way.

" So we are recording this, could you answer clearly all my questions please."

"Yes, I know the drill by now Jack." Ianto replied immediately then mentally slapped himself."Sorry, sorry, I forgot."

"No problem, if I had to hazard a guess I would say this is even weirder for you than it is for me" Jack said, attempting for a reassuring tone which was quite a difficult feat for him considering the emotional tsunami going on inside his composed exterior.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Jack left the interrogation room with Ianto still inside to take the information he had gotten up too his team. He had decided against recording, uncomfortable about how much information about himself might be released to his team. They were brilliant but there were things in his life, things he had done and seen that he did not want them too know. All he knew about Ianto Jones was scribbled down in the file he currently held.

Quickly he reviewed it, taking in the perfectly normal information at odds with the clearly extraordinary man it was describing. Ianto had been open with him except for a few areas- when he had been born, relatives and how he knew Jack.

The man had indeed been raised in Cardiff but the closet he would specify time period was 21st century. The information that he was an archivist came with a small reminiscent smile which left Jack thinking of the mess down in the basement of Torchwood Two and wondering whether Ianto had memories of what they all called the rabbit warren. As they had talked he couldn't help but trust Ianto more and more despite all the wary theories circling around in his head. He could be an agent for Torchwood one? But they weren't generally bothered about the other branches as long as they didn't get in their way and left one to mess around with government funding and alien tech they had kidnapped.

Leaving the mystery for now he decided to send Ianto up to Owen for a medical check up.

The autopsy bay was silent of all the usual heckling as Ianto sat on the cold metal table impassively observing whilst the doctor ran all the tests he could think of. Gwen had gone to the archives to look for any clues and Jack had gone to Toshiko's desk to look at the unusual rift readings. The slight murmur of conversation coming from across the hub was the only indication that they were there at all.

"Well you're human at least" Owen stated after a look at his results.

"Always a plus" Ianto replied with a slight smirk.

"Oh and apparently Welsh. Brilliant." continued the doctor pretending to ignore the other man.

"Got a problem with the Welsh Owen? You do live here."

"Bloody sheep shaggers the lot of you."

Ianto snorted: "Trout pout."

"What did you just call me?" Owen shouted in indignation.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? It's like someone stuck a coat hanger in there!"

Pausing before making a sharp retort Owen smirked slightly, he hadn't had a good argument since Suzie's death. Gwen just got too emotional and wound up, Tosh was too shy and there was no use even trying with Jack.

Soon the banter had turned into mutual laughter that only checked when they looked up to see the Captain gazing quizzically down at them.

With a self conscious cough Owen returned to work mode.

"So what's Tosh got? The rift seemed pretty good to me lately. Come to think of it there's hardly been a thing in ages!"

Toshiko, who had joined them above answered before Jack.

"Well, believe it or not Owen that's the problem. The rift has been giving no readings at all for the past week. At first I figured it must just be anomalous or the equipment malfunctioning but I have checked and rechecked. It's all rather worrying."

" You don't want to get too wound up love. Try not too look a gift horse in the mouth eh?"

"I'm with Tosh" Gwen put in, having emerged from the Archives with nothing to show for it. They should really get someone too tidy up in there she thought idly.

"What if something big is happening? The calm before the storm Owen"

"There's no record of anything similar happening before is there Jack? I checked but there's only so far back I could go." Tosh said

"There was a period of inactivity back in Victorian times. It hasn't happened since so I presumed that it was solved permanently then" Jack paused for a moment before answering the Team's unspoken question. "The inactivity lasted for about a week before the biggest surge that's ever been recorded. There were records of dead bodies coming to life and roaming the streets until it just stopped suddenly one night. The agents in charge at the time logged sightings of the Doctor and after further investigation and witness reports decided that the rift had been opening but a girl named Gwyneth had managed to close it somehow. Not completely of course but enough to stop the main flow of energy. Gwyneth Cooper actually. Might be a relation ." He smirked at Gwen who looked distinctly unimpressed.

"Yes well you can have the family reunion later Yeah?" Owen cut in. " Basically what you're saying is we have three or four days until everything goes to hell"

Ianto who had remained sitting quietly, trying not to interject swore heartfeltedly under his breath.

"Shit."

"My sentiments exactly mate" Owen said as the others stared, having forgotten Ianto was there in the first place.

"We can't just sit around and wait for it to happen Jack!" Gwen shouted. "There must be something we can do!"

"I don't know. Tosh can you get to work pinpointing the exact coordinates and strength of risk energy for the past month or so. It might give us a good idea of how much time we have."

"And the rest of us?" Gwen countered "What are we supposed to do?"

"If we could get an idea of exactly what happened back that would probably help."

"Shit Jack! Not the bloody archives! I spent all morning down there and I didn't find anything" she protested and Owen soon echoed her cries of dismay.

A small cough from Ianto stopped them for a second.

"I know my way around" he offered with a cautious smile. "It won't be precisely what I'm used to but I could probably help you get a general idea of the place."

"How do you-" Tosh started to ask but was cut off by a warning look from Jack

Gwen clapped he hands together ."Brilliant!" she said, preparing to lead the way back down with Owen following behind.

"Just- be careful ok?" Jack called to their backs.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

An hour later and there were three small piles of relevant reports from the time period, each of which had been painstakingly reviewed and selected from the mass of paperwork and dust that surrounded them in the archives.

"Is that everything Ianto?" Gwen asked, gesturing towards the Victorian file cabinets. "We've been down here for ages, surely there can't be any more?" she pleaded.

Owen sat up from where he was reclining on a pile of "Don't jinx it !" he called, seeming alarmed at even the thought of more work.

"That does seem to be everything" Ianto admitted, "Now we just have to go through these, check them against eachother and hopefully relate them to our current situation."

The other two exchanged a look of sheer dread.

Ianto sighed. "Of course If you both need a break I could start it off myself, I'd probably finish it a lot faster than either of you two anyway"

Before he was even finished Owen was jumping up, his lethargy momentarily forgetten.

Gwen lingered, her curiosity from her time as a policewoman overcoming her tiredness and sore eyes. It had only been six months or so but Torchwood was such a whirlwind of activity and excitement it often felt like she had been there years. She was lucky to have Rhys she often thought. In the beginning it had been hard but they had overcome the problems irregular working hours and a dangerous job had provided. Now that he had found out the truth and they were married things were brilliant

"I'm from the future" he said before she had even asked. "Ja-Torchwood's future"

"How did you end up here then?" she asked softly, picking up on the resigned tone the young man was using. He couldn't be more than 27 she realised with a start and she started to see him as more than an alien threat.

"My wristband- the leather thing you saw- is my method of transportation. I can't really tell you much about it or me but essentially I went further back than I intended."

At this Gwen's capacity for disbelief was tested. "Wait- you're a traveller in time?"

"Yes. I know, I know it sounds insane for a Cardiff boy like me but-well spoilers" he gave a wry laugh.

"This must be horrible for you. Oh god, I can't even imagine" she replied, having given in to her trusting instincts by now.

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "I suppose I knew this was coming but we've been through so much Gwen, together, as a team and now he just looks at me like he has no idea who I am, like he doesn't even know me because he _doesn't know me Gwen_ and it shouldn't do but it just- it kills me inside." He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and Gwen watched as it curled slightly around his fingers.

DR

Upstairs Jack was unconsciously mirroring the other man's actions as he racked his memory in an attempt to come up with a plan. At times like these he often wished he was still with the Doctor but he couldn't quite bring himself to regret his choice to leave the time lord for his team. When they didn't even know what had happened before, how could they recreate something that had happened a century before?

The opening of the rift had happened while he was working mostly as a freelance agent for Torchwood, not fully part of the orginization but still under its' surveillance. It seemed remarkably inconveinent now but during the months leading up to and directly after the incident he had been investigating sightings of the abominable snowman in Tibet. It had turned out to be a yeti with a horrible sense of direction and was dealt with quite quickly but a 'sight seeing' detour ensured that he had missed everything and when he asked what had happened on his trip it was all 'classified'.

With no reason to worry or investigate further Jack had not pursued the matter and it had never come up again. Until now.

Drawing himself away from his reverie he walked out of his office and down to Toshiko's work station where she was working intently on several rift predictor codes.

"Anything?" he asked hopefully.

"Jack!" the startled tech exclaimed. "The results haven't come through yet, but when they do I should be able to give you and approximate time for the rift activity surge we're expecting."

"Brilliant" Jack replied but still lingered.

"It's going to be at least a half hour before we get anything."

An additional glare from Tosh persuaded him it was probably prudent to wait somewhere else.

The ringing of steps on the metal walkway surrounding the water tower alerted him to the other's entrance. Taking in Gwen and Ianto's dust covered state first his eyes then took in the reports they were carrying which, after a joint effort, they had managed to extract all the helpful information from.

"Briefing in the boardroom." he called to the Team and they followed him up the stairs to sit around the large wooden table in the center of the room

"So, ideas?" he asked the team once they had all settled.

Gwen stood, "Ianto, Owen and I managed to get quite a bit based around what happened last time. Torchwood didn't seem to be involved in the main events but from what the witness reports said, around Christmastime dead bodies began coming to life."

"All over the city?" asked Tosh.

"Nah, just at one undertaker's office." Owen put in "Mr Sneed wasn't it Gwen?"

"Yes, Mr Sneed." Gwen continued. "The energy readings were off the charts around his shop. And then we get to the interesting bit. Apparently there were sightings of a 'Doctor' wandering around with Charles Dickens"

Owen and the Captain sat up at this though for different reasons.

"Dickens?No bloody way darling!"

"Apparently he was doing some sort of reading and a ghost appeared in the middle of the audience! I was going to dismiss it a publicity stunt because really, Dickens and Ghosts at _Christmas_, bit implausible even for Torchwood"

Tosh laughed slightly "Basically the equivalent of a murder investigation involving Agatha Christie!"

"Well there were those reports of people going missing at a house party in the 1930's..." Ianto deadpanned.

"_Anyway" _Gwen attempted to continue while hiding her amusement. "Torchwood was kept busy investigating all the energy spikes so they missed the closing of the rift but from what we gathered the girl, Gwenyth somehow gave herself up to close it and everything pretty much went back to normal."

Jack let her continue on for a bit on possible causes and the background of the undertakers' shop while he absorbed the information that the Doctor had been there. Explained a lot really as to Torchwood's reaction to the event and the lack of information around it. The Doctor had obviously thought that the problem was fixed but now it was happening again with no Doctor and Jack had no idea how to fix it.

**AN: Sorry for the irregular updates, I'm a very disorganized person... Thanks for all reviews, they really make my day! (hint, hint puppy face?) We should be getting more into the plot soon so thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoyed it.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

And so, it was, the next morning at 9:45, with only Torchwood Cardiff aware of the implications, the apocalypse began with a single flashing light on Tosh's monitors indicating a small spot of rift activity somewhere just to the North-Ea of Cardiff.

The team gathered around, the knowledge that this was the first crack in the dam between realities slowing their movements and adding a silent and somber atmosphere to what would otherwise have beestn a simple retrieval mission.

"No life signs Jack, it seems to be just some tech." Tosh commented before gazing up at Jack with the rest of the team, waiting for instructions.

It had been a long night but they had developed a plan to close the rift. It just relied on pinpointing the exact time and space that would give the maximum impact. An explosion directly in the heart of the rift would hopefully counteract the pull from other dimensions and give it enough 'oomph' to stop the effects, or at least delay them for a couple centuries of so until they were someone elses problem as Owen charmingly put it.

The only thing Jack hadn't mentioned to Toshiko, bursting with enthusiasm at her idea was that to get into the heart of the explosion the bomb would have to be literally carried in and no one, not even him could survive the explosion that would happen, sucked into the void for eternity. Though he still had a small hope that some other way could be found, as he looked towards his team he thought maybe he had lived for long enough. He let his eyes linger when they reached Ianto who was standing a little back from the rest of the team though he had fit in seamlessly and had been instrumental in the devising of the bomb and plan. It was a pity he wouldn't be around to get to know the gorgeous welshman. Under different circumstances he would have looked forward to perhaps more of a proper relationship than he was used to.. God, it had been centuries since he had done the domestic thing but with a mindand body like his... Too bad they'd never have a chance now.

For a moment their eyes met and Jack was taken aback by the emotions cascading behind those beautiful blue eyes- did Ianto know of his plan to sacrifice himself? but just as quickly as they had appeared the other man's defenses were pulled down and the storm of feeling replaced by a blank wall.

"Right, if Gwen and Owen go out to this one, Tosh I'll need you to stay here for as long as possible for monitoring."

As Gwen and Owen grabbed the kit Ianto had laid out in preparation and started on their journey another reading showed up on Tosh's screen.

"Jack according to this the weevils are getting restless. They're moving up."

"Oh brilliant. If you could ask the police to tape off all areas where they're likely to emerge we can delay dealing with them"

"Done" Tosh said, just as another spot of rift activity came up "Right, this one looks bigger. A lot bigger and it's definetely alive but contained for now in a.. Warehouse near the Curan embankment. You'll need back up- I could?" she looked up questioningly.

"No sorry Tosh we really do need someone back at the hub and you know all the systems best. "

Tosh looked back down but in truth she was slightly relieved. She was a brilliant field agent and wasn't insecure about it but in a major crisis such as this, even if they had a plan to stop it, she felt more comfortable with computers, where she was, quite frankly, a genius. She wasn't shy despite what people (_Owen) _seemed to think, she was confident and happy, now if only she could get a certain medic to view her as something other than a colleague.

Toshiko was content in the spotlight but always happier in the background.

Then Ianto stepped forward to where they were standing. "I could go with you"

Jack started to speak but Ianto cut him off "I know it's not procedure but really, if I was a threat I could have gotten out ages ago. I'll be under your surveillance the entire time and I _can help _Jack. We both know that I can."

Jack only waited a second before replying "Get in the SUV" he said curtly and turned to walk to the exit. Truly he had trusted Ianto from almost the first words they spoke together but he had been trained well by the Time Agency and was always wary. Besides what impression did it give to the team if their leader became blindly trusting of everything they encountered? He himself couldn't really give a reason but his instincts were, if anything, telling him to get closer to Ianto.

DR

The car drew up outside the warehouse with a screeching of tires whereupon Ianto and Jack climbed out and strode towards the warehouse.

Walking around to the entrance they could hear thumps and occassionally what sounded like squawking.

"Right, you ready to go in?" Jack asked, smiling at Ianto who stood next to him.

Returning the smile Ianto spoke "I'm game if you are"

"On the count of three?"

"I'm ready."

Jack counted down, already feeling the adrenaline excite him, a fact that wasn't helped by the way Ianto was looking at him with his mouth slightly open and eyes full of was already starting to make plans on how to recreate that expression as soon as possible, preferably in his bed before he realised he wouldn't have that chance. Damn.

The crucial number was reached and they simultaneously burst into the large warehouse, empty except for the large-shit was that a dinosaur?- currently FUCKING FLYING towards them at high speed.

"Regroup!"Jack shouted, running towards the door they had entered through. This would obviously require a more tactical approach.

As soon as Ianto was outside he slammed the door behind them and they rested against it, catching their breath. Ianto turned slightly to Jack and laughed softly, still panting.

"Whoah. I must say I was _not _expecting a pteradactyl" Jack spoke at last.

"With all due respect I think it's a pteradon."

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that."

"What can I say? I know everything"

"Oh I bet you do." Jack replied appreciatively. "Right. I think we'll have to sedate it"

The welshman rolled his eyes in a way Jack could only classify as adorable. "Oh brilliant plan Jack."

"I'm ignoring that. We should have a sedative and needle in the SUV."

"And if I'm right, which I generally am," Ianto added, following Jack back to the car. "There's some dark chocolate in the front."

"Why do you need- Oh that's good. I'll distract the pteradactyl with chocolate while you inject it with the sedative. Wait how did you know there was dark chocolate?"

Ianto turned from where he was rummaging in the glove department and watched Jack slam the boot shut then leer rather obviously at his behind.

"Many things change but Owen's snack times and habits remain the same. Anyway I think _I'll _distract the _pteratdon _and you can inject it with the sedative. I'm good with dinosaurs." At this Ianto went up to where the Captain then turned and walked away, smiling at his affronted expression.

"Well you certainly have an unusual skill set Mr Jones." Jack laughed, slightly taken aback before he realised he was being left behind and strode faster to catch up.

Silently they snuck inside the warehouse.

They split up, Ianto whistling slightly to catch the large beast's attention.

"Hey, I've got you something."

Throwing the bar onto the floor he cautiously approached the pteradon, as Jack inched forward from behind. The pteradon started to turn so Ianto spoke again.

"It's good for your seratonin levels, If you've got seratonin levels."

The bird/reptile started to peck at the chocolate but a small noise from behind alerted it to Jack's presence. Startled it tried to take flight but Jack grabbed hold just in time to be lifted up with it, spiralling high up to the roof of the warehouse.

"Jack you _Idiot" _ Ianto hissed while opening his arms wide, preparing to catch the man above him as Jack struggled to stab the needle in.

Once the pteradon had been successfully injected with the sedative Jack let go, falling the many feet straight down onto Ianto below

Laughing the two men rolled away from the unconscious dinosaur beside them. Slowing they suddenly became aware of their bodies pressed against eachother and the heady mixing of breath.

Jack could feel every inch of Ianto pressing down on him and he stifled a groan at the feeling such close contact produced. His nose was gently bumping against Jack's, their lips just centimetres apart. Jack sucked in a breath, he didn't want to break the moment, as Ianto slowly lent his head down and brushed his smooth, soft lips against Jacks'.

In a moment the kiss turned from soft and caring to hot and demanding as teeth, tongue and lips desperately slid against eachother expertly. It was an odd mix of familiarity and discovery but all the more tantalizing for the enigma behind it. Jack made the most of it, shifting to get more comfortable and running his hands down Ianto's back to get a hold of what he had been wanting to grab all day. He relished the feel of Ianto's hands on his neck and was just about to spin them over when a familiar beeping in his ear reminded him of the upcoming apocalypse.

The end of the world was a bit of a cockblocker if you thought about it, and Jack was silently cursing fate for bringing him such a gift just when he didn't have the time to enjoy it as Ianto stood up and offered him a hand.

Clearing his throat Ianto helped Jack up. "We should go now. Tosh is going to be going crazy stuck at the hub"

DR

**AN: Please tell me what you think! I wasn't sure about the Tosh POV but I felt like I should put it in so as not to leave anyone out. I find her quite difficult to write as she's such a private character. Also just to clarify in case anyone is confused, I'll be pick and mixing bits of canon as I write but don't expect accuracy! I'll try my best to make sense though...**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

The next few days were taken up fully by managing the mass of rift debris coming through 24/7. They took it in shifts, only one member of the team sleeping at a time while the others were out on calls or monitoring from the hub and taking care of the cover-up.

Ianto was, when the opportunity itself, sleeping in one of the spare beds in the hub and Jack found himself hoping that Ianto would stay with the team after he was gone. They could use someone as capable and well rounded as him.

After the first, slightly awkward, few missions, Ianto had been accepted as part of the team and they probably could not have managed without him. He had greeted the coffee machine like an old friend and no matter the time, anyone coming back on a mission could find a cup of the delicious liquid sitting on their desk. Ianto also showed a flair for cover ups and would collaborate happily with Tosh who found a kindred spirit in his understanding and respect for the computers.

The matter of his past and their future was put aside in the rush of activity that heralded the full opening of the rift and anyone who did ask would have the question expertly turned upon themselves. Not that there was much time for socialization, conversation or any variants thereof but Jack found it slipping further into the back of his mind as time went on.

DR

Jack and Ianto stumbled into the hub, exhausted from capturing the rather vicious Hoix that was the most recent visitor from the rift. After depositing it in one of the rapidly filling cells they walked upstairs to find the base empty, Tosh, Owen and Gwen were all still out on missions so it was up too Jack to check the rift predictor program. Quickly deciphering the numbers and graphs displayed on the screen he turned to Ianto who was walking towards him quickly blocking the computer with his body, "Something else is coming through pretty soon. Looks inanimate so probably just a bit of tech. If I go now I should be there when it arrives."

"Great, I'll go load up the SUV then." Ianto said, startling Jack slightly with the prompt reply.

"Uh, no I'll take this one on my own. You should take the chance to rest."

Ianto's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion."And you shouldn't?" he asked before smoothly stepping around Jack to inspect the data displayed on the screen. Realising he had no way to cover this up, and he didn't really want to, Jack stood resigned behind him.

"Jack it's the stressor point, the rift is opening"

"Yeah. I know" he said softly.

"There's no way that the explosion will trigger at the center by itself is there?" There was a moment of silence while Ianto worked it out and Jack waited expectantly. "Oh Jack. You're planning to walk it straight in there aren't you? Sucked into the rift for eternity. The closest to death an immortal can ever get."

Jack breathed out shakily, not bothering to question Ianto's knowledge of his immortality. It stood to reason that this man who obviously knew him intimately, would know about his inability to stay dead as well. He looked into Ianto's eyes and managed a small smile.

"Hell of a way to go though"

Ianto reached up and settled his arms lightly on Jack's biceps. "Dying the way you lived, saving the world."

They stood like that for a few moments, taking comfort in eachother's solid presence and regular breathing before Jack reluctantly moved away.

"I should go now before I miss it. Tell the others- tell them to make me proud yeah?And -um- just to be safe." He had only walked a few steps before Ianto caught up with him.

"You can be an _idiot _sometimes Jack Harkness. Like I'd ever let you do this alone."

Jack paused for a moment debating whether or not to argue the issue but continued walking with only a small smile of acknowledement. He had only known Ianto for a few days but he knew that having him there would help. He didn't want to die alone and although the rest of the team would come if called, they would try and help then blame themselves when they failed or died trying.

DR

Side by side Jack and Ianto walked through the shining white corridors of the office building they had tracked the rift energy too, both remaining in a contemplative silence. The ordinary desks they passed seemed strange and distant considering the apocalypse fast approaching just a few doors down the hallway. As they approached what they had pinpointed as the exact spot a strange feeling of peace settled over Jack. He could see the golden wisps that had been associated with the rift reaching out to him from the corner of his eye and he moved closer, into their beckoning warmth-

Just as Ianto slid behind him and reached his strong hands around Jack's neck, his fingers moving fast to press a small, silver disk to his nape. Almost immediately Jack slumped down against Ianto. Seeing the Axfrian device on his way out of the Archives had been a massive stroke of luck- the last time he had seen one was years ago, on the black market in a space station somewhere. It should keep Jack unconscious for a couple minutes or so if he remembered correctly, just enough time for him to get ready.

He gently rested Jack against a table leg in the room just off the corridor before dipping into the large pockets of Jack's greatcoat. Ianto fished out the high-tech handcuffs he had seen him slip into there at the beginning of the day, and the bomb gently, not wanting to risk waking him. Setting the piece of tech carefully on the floor beside him he swiftly locked the Captain onto the table leg and crouched down in front of him, picking up the bomb again to start prepping it.

He had almost finished setting the timer when a slight rustle drew his attention to the slow blinking that heralded Jack's awakening. The faster healing abilities that came with Jack's immortality obviously transferred to the neural block the gadget was meant to provide, a fact Ianto silently berated himself for not taking into account. Ah, well, at least it gave him a chance for a proper goodbye.

DR

**AN: I am so sorry for the massive time between updates but this chapter just did not want to be written and I wasn't sure how far to go with it.! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

The bright white corridor swung into focus for Jack as he came round, before his head fell forward and Ianto's concerned face became clear. The next thing he noticed was the numbness he felt slowly receding from his body, the feeling creeping towards his neck from where it seemed to have originated. Reaching his hand up to feel the spot, the movement was cut off abruptly by the strong hand cuffs- wait, _his _handcuffs- chaining him to the desk he was resting on.

Suddenly Ianto's presence didn't seem so comforting. What if he'd got it all wrong? Made a mistake in trusting him. But everything he'd said- everything he knew.

"Ianto- what is this?"

The welshman sighed and leaned back, picking up the bomb and staring at it intently as he turned it and tightened the wires in preperation. For a moment Jack feared he wasn't going to get an answer then Ianto spoke, still keeping his head down, focused on his work, and avoiding Jack's gaze.

"All the planning, the bomb, walking yourself in. You forgot about what was right in front of you. If you die here Jack, then you'll never have met me. All my memories will be gone, everything I've gone through, that _we've_ gone through will never have existed in the first place and I can't let that happen." Ianto was getting more and more worked up and Jack found himself wondering what he could have ever done to deserve the kind of loyalty that Ianto was displaying.

"So you're going to kill yourself for me."

"Like I have another choice. I knew this was coming since I realised you didn't know who I was. If you die a paradox will form and we can't let that happen"

Ianto looked up and Jack found whatever comment he was about to make stuck in his throat as he stared straight into his pale blue eyes. For a moment he was struck by the thought that they seemed much too old for his face but it was quickly dispelled by the storm of emotion going on behind them.

It all seemed so surreal. They had met under hostile circumstances, Jack had knocked him out, locked him up and then Ianto had turned the tables on him. They had kissed _once _for god's sake and Jack wasn't one to take those things seriously but now he- Captain Jack Harkness, protector of the Earth- was honestly considering ripping a hole in the universe just to keep him alive. _He didn't want him to die._ The strength of the thought surprised him but he couldn't bring himself to regret it, looking at Ianto sitting before him.

He was bringing himself to speak, tell him that he was willing to give up their future, that he had lived long enough when Ianto broke through his thoughts.

"I should go now, it's time" The soft whispering and glow of the rift radiating from around the corridor seconded his words. Time was literally slipping away.

"No, I-uh" Jack stammered as Ianto picked up the bomb, stood and turned to leave. "_Don't_ Ianto. I don't want you to. I've been around for years, I've seen it all Ianto. It's time for me to go"

Ianto spun round, his determination showing clearly through his stiffened posture.

"And what you're willing to just give it all away? I know you don't know me yet but I'm _important _to you- why do you think you gave me your vortex manipulator? You've kept it for hundreds of years and yet you give it up for me. I can't let that all slip away."

"I can change it! This can't be the end."

"And it won't be Jack, you've still got so far to go. If the time agency taught you nothing it was that you can't create a paradox."

Jack stared for a moment at the man about to die for him, willing a solution to just pop up, just so that for once in his long, long life he wouldn't have to say good-bye. Eventually he reached acceptance. Quietly he almost whispered, holding Ianto's gaze.

"I would. For you, I would"

Ianto's lips parted in a silent exhale and he knelt down again, putting himself at eye level with Jack.

"Thank you." He said, before leaning in the few inches to press his mouth to Jack's in a soft, chaste kiss. He straightened once more and glanced down at Jack's hopeless face.

"Get rid of the manipulator when you get back to the hub, yeah? As I said, paradoxes can be nasty things" The edge of his mouth twitched in a small, bittersweet smile. " Oh and don't worry Jack" He said, lingering over the Captain's name as if it was a benediction.

"It's going to be amazing"

Jack's eyes bore holes into Ianto's back as he walked out of sight, memorizing the sight until the next time they would meet. He had to keep hope, remember what Ianto had said.

There was a flash of white and then the rift stiched itself shut, leaving the universe whole again but Jack couldn't bring himself to move or get help, even though he knew he could reach the hand cuff key in his pocket if he tried, call his team, get started on the monumental cover story the chaos would require- return to Torchwood's version of normality.

Ianto Jones was gone.

**A/N: well, that's the end of that part of the story at least! The rest isn't quite so planned out and I am debating with myself whether or not to continue so please give feedback and ideas! **


End file.
